


The King and I

by mickeysaint



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, later chapters may mention rape and violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-14 17:11:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3418808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mickeysaint/pseuds/mickeysaint
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in 16th century Denmark, Mathias is a young and carefree prince who never wants to become king. However, at the age of 15, his world gets turned upside down after some unfortunate events force him to take responsibility over his country.<br/>Main pairing: Dennor with side Sufin. Gerita, Aushun, Lietpol, Fruk, and Hongice each make at least one appearance in later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This story is set in the early modern period of Europe, but it takes place mainly in 16th century Denmark. Specifically, it is set a couple decades after Sweden breaks off from the Kalmar Union. There will be minor OC's because this is a human AU, but they won't impact the story much, so don't worry (:  
> P.S. this is my first fanfic. Enjoy!

Lukas had hoped for a change, but he never expected anything quite like this.

            It started out just like any other day. Winter was approaching, so Lukas was sent out to collect firewood in the forest nearby. After a while, he set the wood down and laid down on the grassy terrain. It was a beautiful day in Norway, yet Lukas couldn’t help but feel gloomy. He closed his eyes and felt the cold wind sweep across his face.

_Hello, mother. It’s me again. I had that dream again last night, the one where you and I are playing hide and seek. I keep thinking you’ll come out of your hiding spot any day now, and things will return to normal. I still can’t believe you’re really gone._

Lukas opened his eyes and felt a tear fall from his eyes. _No, I must stay strong for Emil,_ he thought. He continued to lay down for the next couple of hours, contemplating his thoughts as he watched the sun dip back into the horizon. In the distance, he heard the sound of horses trotting, followed by some voices. Lukas wondered where they were going, for the only thing past the forest was the orphanage where he lived. His curiosity started to peek, so after a while Lukas got up, dusted himself off, and gathered the firewood in his arms before making the journey back home.

* * *

            When Lukas arrived at the orphanage, he was surprised to find a horse-drawn carriage waiting out in front. Whoever had come to visit was obviously a person of wealth. This further drew the boy’s interest, so he hurried inside. No sooner had he entered was he ambushed by Mrs. Anfinson, the headmaster of the orphanage.

            “Lukas, put that firewood down and come quickly!” she exclaimed, “There are two very important men I’d like you to meet.”

            Lukas was led to the adjoining room, where he was introduced to the two men dressed in elaborate fur coats. They were apparently two well-known noblemen, although Lukas had never heard of them before.

            “Gentlemen, this is the dashing young man I’ve been telling you all about,” boasted Mrs. Anfinson, “Lukas, don’t be shy. Introduce yourself.”

            Lukas gulped nervously. What did these men want? Finally, he spoke up.

            “H-hallo, my name is Lukas Bondevik”, Lukas stuttered.

            One of the men walked closer to where Lukas was timidly standing. “Oh my,” he started, “you’re even more beautiful in person.”

            Lukas winced. That was always the first thing everybody said when they first met him. He had heard it so many times that the word “beautiful” had lost all meaning to him. Still, he plastered a smile and thanked the man. The man kneeled down so that he was at Lukas’s level. Suddenly, his expression softened.

            “Mrs. Anfinson over here told me what happened to your mother,” he explained as he took Lukas’s hand in his own, “I’m so sorry for your loss. And at only twenty-threea, what a tragedy!”

            Lukas maintained a blank countenance, but inside his mind was blazing. Why was this man pitying him? Besides, no one knew his mother like he did, so they’d never understand his pain. Not even his little brother, because he was only a baby when their mother died; he was too young to possibly remember her. Lukas felt like screaming, but instead he quietly thanked the man again.

            “Ah, but I have some good news for you!” the man stated, as he got back on his feet, “How would you, Lukas Bondevik, like to live in the palace and become a part of the royal family? It’ll be great, you’ll have your own room and have plenty of food. The king awaits your arrival, all you have to do is say yes.”

            Lukas thought about it for a moment. He always thought he’d jump at the first opportunity to leave this dreaded place, but now he wasn’t so sure.

            “I…I’m sorry. I can’t leave my brother,” Lukas finally replied.

            The man crossed his arms and started stroking his finely groomed beard. _Hmm…_ he thought. He walked over to the other man, who hadn’t said a word since Lukas arrived, and started whispering to him. Lukas could only make out a few words.

            “…but sir, the king is only expecting one boy,” he heard the other man say.

            After a couple of minutes, the man walked over to Lukas and put his arm around the boy’s shoulder.

            “Good news, my boy! You can bring your brother along if you wish,” the man explained.

Lukas still wasn’t so sure. Was he ready to leave this life behind?

            “I’m still undecided. M-May I think about it?” Lukas asked.

            “You may, but think quickly. We leave in a couple hours, with or without you.” replied the man. With that, he turned and signaled the other man to go with him to wait in the carriage.

* * *

               Lukas went upstairs and sat down on his cot, thinking about the opportunity he had just been given. Live with the king? That was something that never happened. Still, he thought, the king probably only wanted him because of his raw beauty. He looked down at his brother, who was sleeping in the cot next to his. He smiled and went over to his brother’s cot, softly humming as he pushed the sleeping boy’s silvery bangs away from his face. It was a stark contrast compared to his own light blonde hair.

            Still undecided, Lukas took a look around the cottage. To be honest, the place was falling apart and there was always a food shortage. Mrs. Anfinson did her best to take care of her boys at the orphanage, but there was only so much one person could do. Was he being a burden to her? Lukas sighed. There was another thing bothering him: he couldn’t remember the last time he was actually happy. Maybe it was time for a change. He had been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so why not take it? It was decided. He’d leave his old life behind and begin his new life in the palace. But first he had to tell his brother.

            “Emil,” Lukas begged, “Emil, wake up! There’s something I must tell you!”

            “Hmm?” Emil groaned, “What is it, big brother?” Emil sleepily rubbed his eyes before sitting up in his cot.

            Lukas took Emil’s hands in his. “Pack your bags. We’re going to our new home.”


	2. The Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lukas meets Mathias in this chapter.

         Sunshine rained down upon the kingdom of Denmark, but the young prince was causing too much trouble for his nurse to notice the beautiful day outside.

         “Mathias, young master! Come down from there this instant!” his nurse demanded, “the queen will not be happy if you get yourself hurt again!”

         “But I don’t wanna come down!” Mathias yelled from the tree he was busy climbing, “Why don’t you come up! The view from up here is awesome!”

         His nurse scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Besides, you haven’t finished your lessons for the day yet. Now come down.”

         Mathias didn’t want to get another scolding from his mother, so he reluctantly climbed back down.

         “That’s a good boy. Now come,” his nurse beckoned, “Your Latin lessons await you.”

* * *

 

         Mathias stared out the window as his tutor attempted him to teach him the basics of Latin roots. Mathias didn’t have anything against Latin, but he didn’t care for it much either. He desperately wanted to be outside again and feel the sun in his face, but instead he was trapped indoors. The only times he was allowed outside was during his archery and horseback riding lessons, but that wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy the young prince.

         “…now Prince Mathias, what does the root word ‘-gress’ mean?” his tutor asked.

         Mathias didn’t answer; his head was in the clouds again.

         “Prince Mathias!” his tutor repeated loudly, “you must pay attention. It is very important that a person of your social class be properly educated. Besides, after this the king of Norway and the rest of the royal court are coming over for dinner. You wouldn’t want to miss out on that, now would you?”

         Mathias shook his head. Truthfully, he didn’t care much for dinner parties, but his mother always made such a big fuss about it. Mathias also didn’t understand why he needed all these lessons. When was he ever going to use Latin, anyway? Still, he decided to be a good little boy and pay attention for the rest of his lessons.

         Once Mathias was finished, he was escorted by a servant up to his quarters to change into the clothes he would wear for dinner. He groaned when he saw what was set out for him: a heavy woolen doublet with a lacy collar and cuffs. He knew his mother had picked it out for him, so asking to not wear it was out of the question. Mathias pouted and lifted up his arms in a hesitant manner, waiting for the servant to dress him. As she did, she talked to the other servant in the room, who was changing the prince’s bed sheets.

         “Did you hear? The king of Norway is bringing his son to the dinner tonight! Rumor has it that his son’s beauty matches that of Helen of Troy!”

         “Oh, my! His son must really be something, then! This I have to see for myself! I heard the young prince is around Prince Mathias’s age.” replied the servant changing his bed sheets.

         This caught Mathias’s attention. He had never been around anyone his own age before. Who was this mystery boy?

         Mathias sat as he watched the strange commotion of servants around him. The king of Norway and his son were going to arrive any moment now. His mother walked over to him and fixed his collar.

         “Now, Mathias,” she began, “remember, don’t talk with your mouth full and use inside voices.”

         “Yes, mother.” The boy replied.

         The queen smiled and kissed the top of her son’s head. A servant entered the room to announce the arrival of His Royal Highness, the King of Norway. Dinner was about to begin.

* * *

 

         It had been two hours into the dinner party and Mathias was growing very restless. He looked across the dinner table and spotted a boy around his age, who he assumed was the young prince his servants were talking about earlier. They hadn’t been properly introduced, so Mathias decided to formally introduce himself.

         Since the grown-ups were engulfed in their own conversations, Mathias was able to duck under the table without anyone noticing. Next, he made his journey towards where the boy was sitting.

         Lukas was sitting there, lost in his own thoughts, when he felt something scratching at his leg. He grew annoyed and kicked whatever was scratching him with crude force. _Ow!_ He heard from under the table. Curious, Lukas peeked underneath the table to see what he had kicked. He did not expect to see a person crawling at his feet.

         “What are you doing down there?” Lukas hissed. He was not in the mood to play games.

         “I’m bo-ored. C’mon, let’s go play outside!” Mathias pleaded.

         “We can’t, we’re in the middle of dinner. Go back to your seat!” Lukas retorted.

         “Come o-on. I’m bored. The grown-ups aren’t even paying attention! Please? I’m not leaving until you come with me!” begged Mathias.

         Lukas looked around; the grown-ups really weren’t paying attention to them. He knew this idiot would keep pestering him, so Lukas finally gave in and joined Mathias underneath the table.

         Mathias smiled at Lukas. “Follow me!” he said as he led the way.

         Lukas furrowed his brows. He had just met this boy, yet he was already giving him a headache.

         Lukas and Mathias crawled underneath the table, making sure to not step on anyone’s feet. Finally, they reached the end of the table and made their escape towards the garden.

         Mathias breathed in the fresh air and unloosened his collar. “Hah! I can’t believe we just did that!” He turned and smiled at Lukas again, who was giving him a cross expression in return. “Anyway, I’m Mathias. My parents are the king and-”

         “Do you think I’m dumb or something?” Lukas interrupted, “I know who you are. What was that whole charade you did just now? I don’t know why you dragged me out here.”

         Lukas turned so that his back was facing Mathias, but realized he might have been a little harsh. He turned back around. “Look, I’m sorry. I’ve just been-”

         Mathias wasn’t even paying attention. He was busy playing with a roly-poly he had just found. He looked up at Lukas, who was glaring at him. He held up the roly-poly and showed it to him.

         “Look at what I caught!”

         Lukas knocked it out of his hand.

         “Aw, c’mon! You didn’t have so be so rude.” Mathias pouted.

         Lukas rolled his eyes. “You know, you shouldn’t pout. If you do it too much your face will stay like that forever.”

         “Really?! No way!!” Mathias started making funny faces, trying to get it to stick but failing.

         Lukas closed his eyes in frustration. _This was the great prince of Denmark he had heard so much about?_

         “How old are you anyway? Four?” asked Lukas bittlerly.

         Mathias laughed. “No, silly, I’m eight years old!”

_How on earth was this moron the same age as him?!_

         Mathias got up and sat next to Lukas, then laid down and rested his head on Lukas’s lap. Lukas grimaced at this sudden invasion of personal space, but Mathias wouldn’t budge. _Who does he think he is?_

         “Anyway, isn’t it cool how close our countries are? It looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other!” Mathias exclaimed. “You know, out of all my indoor lessons, history is my favorite. What’s yours, Lukas?”

         Lukas looked down at the ground. “Don’t have one.”

         Mathias sat up. “Huh? Why not? What are you interested in, then?”

         Lukas kicked at the dirt under his feet. “Nothing, really.”

         Mathias grew concerned. “C’mon, everybody likes something! My mother likes fancy clothes. Unfortunately, she likes putting me in those fancy clothes.”

         “Not me, I don’t like anything.” Lukas said dejectedly.

         “Hmmm…” Mathias began, “You don’t smile much, do you?”

         Lukas shrugged his shoulders. “There’s nothing to smile about, I guess.”

         Suddenly, Mathias stood up and pounded his fist against his palm. “Well, that’s that! Lukas Bondevik, one day I will make you smile! I promise!”

         Lukas scoffed and folded his arms. Like that would ever happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time using AO3 so I don't really get how to format things on this site. Bear with me here.  
> Chapter 3 coming soon!


	3. Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like the title says. Lukas and Mathias become "brothers".

     As relations between the countries of Denmark and Norway strengthened, so did the one between Lukas and Mathias. Although he didn’t like to admit it, Lukas was glad to have a friend like Mathias. He knew Mathias was one of the few people that genuinely liked him for him, not for his looks. Besides, without Mathias to drag him around everywhere, Lukas knew he probably would’ve spent his days sulking around in his room. Had they met any other way, he knew they wouldn’t be as close as they were now. Mathias was loud and adventurous and a bit naïve, whereas Lukas was more mature, soft-spoken and reserved. They were exact opposites, yet they seemed to perfectly balance each other out.

     When they were twelve, the boys snuck into the wedding between a Norwegian princess and a Danish prince. It was a private wedding, but they managed to sneak into the church so they could watch. The boys took their places in the last pew, making sure they wouldn’t be seen by the other guests.

     “We’re going to be up there one day, saying our vows to somebody we love,” Lukas whispered.

     “Not me.” Mathias responded. “I’m never getting married.”

     Lukas raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. The priest was getting ready to bless the couple in front of him. After a while Mathias broke their silence, making sure to keep his voice down.

     “I heard my mother and father talking the other day.” He said. “They’re making my uncle the next crown prince.”

     “What? But the heir to the throne is supposed to go to the firstborn son. It’s always been that way. Doesn’t that upset you?”

     Mathias shrugged his shoulders. “They know how much I hate this kind of stuff, so I don’t mind. I don’t really want to be king anyway, I want to be an explorer! Travel the world and have no responsibilities. You can even come with me and we’ll have all sorts of adventures together!”

     Before Lukas could answer, everyone started clapping for the newly married prince and princess. Lukas and Mathias took that chance to make their escape.

* * *

Since their birthdays were only a month apart, the boys usually had a joint birthday celebration. They celebrated their 14th birthday with elaborate style, as any prince should, but every day since then a cloud of gloom hung around their kingdoms as the rain continuously poured down, washing away their cheeriness. By the third day, Mathias felt like he was going insane; he had been inside for too long.

     “Stop overreacting.” Lukas retorted. “I should be the one complaining - I can’t go home because of the weather.”

     “How’s that a bad thing? We get to spend more time together this way!” Mathias exclaimed.

     Lukas rolled his eyes. “That’s exactly my problem.”

     Mathias had lessons for the rest of the day, but it went by less slowly with Lukas by his side. When nighttime came, Mathias insisted that Lukas share the bed with him. He agreed, but only if they kept a barrier of pillows between them.

     Hours passed, but Mathias couldn’t fall asleep. Finally he called out for Lukas and asked if he was sleeping.

     “If I was sleeping, I wouldn’t be answering you, now would I?” was the answer he got.

     Mathias rolled onto his stomach and removed the pillows between them. Lukas was too tired to even care anymore.

     “Lukas, what’s it like having a brother?” Mathias asked.

     Lukas thought about it for a moment. “Well, they’re somebody you have to protect and care for. They can be really annoying, but they’re also your best friend. It’s a special bond no one can take away from you.”

     “That sounds really nice,” Mathias marveled as he propped his head on his hand, “I wish I had somebody like that to take care of. It seems like I’m always the one being taken care of.”

     Lukas stayed silent for a minute before speaking up again. “…Mathias? Can I ask you a question?”

     “What is it, Lukas?”

     “Why don’t you have any siblings? I thought it was strange that you were an only child.”

     “I’m not, technically,” Mathias began, “I’m supposed to have four older brothers. But two were miscarriages, and the other two died in battle when I was just a baby.”

     “…Oh.” replied Lukas quietly, “I- I’m sorry.”

     “It’s okay, I never knew them. How could I miss someone I never met before?”

     They laid in silence for a few minutes before Lukas spoke up again.

     “Hey, have I told you about my mother, Mathias? My real one?”

     Mathias knew Lukas and Emil were adopted, but they had never talked about it before.

     “What about her?”

     “I wish you could have met her, Mathias. You would have loved her. Everyone loved her. She died when I was only six, but I still remember the sound of her voice. It was like an angel’s! She used to sing this old lullaby to me every night- if I listen closely, I can almost hear her singing it to me. It was almost as beautiful as she was.”

     Lukas paused for a moment. “And she had a heart of gold. We were peasants, but one day when I was four she brought home a baby that she found on the side of a road. He was abandoned and had nowhere else to go, so my mother adopted him.”

     “Emil’s not your real brother?” Mathias asked.

     “No, he wasn’t even from Norway, according to my mother. She told me his parents were most likely Icelandic.”

     “Wow. Well anyway, your mother sounds amazing,” said Mathias.

     “She was.” Lukas replied. “Oh, and Mathias? About what you said earlier, about wanting to have a brother… you can be mine.”

     Mathias sat up in bed. “Really?! How cool!!” he went over to Lukas’s side of the bed to tackle him in a hug.

     “Ahh! Get off me, you idiot!” Lukas cried out.

     Mathias let go of him and quickly apologized. He knew by now to respect his friend’s personal space, but he just couldn’t help it sometimes.

     “Oh! I have something perfect to symbolize us being brothers!” Mathias exclaimed. He crawled over to his bedtable and returned with a golden cross-shaped hair clip and put it in Lukas’s hair.

     “There, now you’re perfect.” Mathias said. “So, brothers?”

     Lukas touched the golden cross in his hair. “Yea. Brothers.”


	4. Long Live the King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think we know what's going down in this chapter. Mathias is an ugly crier, and Lukas is an even worse comforter.

“…and remember to use inside voices.” the queen reminded Mathias before kissing him on the top of his head.

Mathias pouted. “Aw, mother. Must you both go?”

“This trip is very important for the sake of our country. Besides, don’t you want to stay in Norway with Prince Lukas while we’re away?”

Her son’s eyes lit up. “Okay bye mother, bye father!”

The king laughed and ruffled his son’s hair. “We’ll see you in two weeks.”

* * *

 

Mathias had spent a wonderful fortnight up in Norway with Lukas and Emil. The king of Norway was much less strict about using inside voices, much to Lukas’s dismay. At least Emil didn’t seem to mind having him around; he kind of liked having another big brother to play with. During his stay in Norway, he and Lukas discovered the game of chess and decided to play. Mathias was no good at it; out of all the matches they played, he lost every single one of them. He swore to beat Lukas during their next game, but Lukas proved to be unbeatable. Mathias claimed it was beginner’s luck.

When he returned to Denmark, Mathias raced through the castle, calling for his parents in hopes of telling them about all the adventures he had in the last two weeks. He searched for them in their bedrooms, the dining hall, the garden – every room he could think of – but they were nowhere to be found. He walked slowly, trailing his fingers along the walls. Some servants passed him, but none of them could bring themselves to look at him. Mathias couldn’t help but feel a strange aura around him. Everybody around him looked gloomy, and he didn’t know why. Finally he cornered one of his servants and asked what happened while he was away. His servant looked at him with sympathetic eyes.

“My prince,” said his servant sorrowfully, “I regretfully inform you that the king and queen have died in a shipwreck.”

* * *

 

            For three days Mathias wouldn’t leave his room. He shut himself his room and refused to eat or let anyone talk to him. Day and night he clutched his pillows and clenched his eyes shut, tears rolling down his cheeks and wetting his sheets. When he thought he was done crying, he remembered he would never see his parents again, and another round of sobs racked his body. His servants and tutors slammed their fists on his door, demanding he unlock it this instant. Over and over again, they asked if he was okay, and from the response of grief-filled cries, they knew he hadn’t gotten any better. They stood helplessly as they heard whimpers come from Mathias’ room. They could hear his cries from the hallway, and it broke their hearts to know they couldn’t do anything to take the pain away from their young prince.

            Once the news reached Norway, Lukas immediately made the trip to Denmark. Despite the servants telling him the door was locked, he still went up the stairs up to his room. He turned the knob, hoping the servant had lied. He sighed when it did not turn.

            He brought his hand up and knocked. “Mathias?”

            It was quiet, but in between sniffles, Lukas heard, “Go away.”

            “It’s me, Lukas.” He replied. “I brought food.”

            A wave of relief washed over him when he heard small footsteps nearing him. The door opened the tiniest bit, and through the crack he saw Mathias peering through, his eyes red and blotchy. They made eye contact, and after a few seconds, Mathias uttered, “Come in.”

As soon as he stepped into Mathias’s room, he realized he had no idea what he was doing. No one was there to comfort him during his grieving period, so how on earth was he going to comfort somebody else? Lukas considered leaving the room quietly, but it was already too late. They stood there in silence, except Mathias’ occasional sob.

“Um-” Lukas began, but at that moment, Mathias couldn’t hold it in, and he started to cry, flinging his arms around Lukas. As Mathias buried his face in his shirt, wetting it with his tears, Lukas couldn’t help but stand there uncomfortably, paralyzed.

            “L-Lukas! My p-parents are d-dead!” Mathias cried out in between sobs.

            “I-I know.” Lukas replied. It was vague, but it was the only thing he could think to say in response.

            Mathias’ legs gave out from the lack of energy, and he collapsed at Lukas’ feet. He curled into a ball around his ankles, and Lukas nearly fell over – he was trapped. He carefully got down to his knees and tried to remove Mathias from clinging onto him. When it was clear he would not budge, he gently scooped Mathias into his arms and unceremoniously tossed him onto his bed.

            He stood above Mathias, unsure of what to do next. Lukas desperately wanted to comfort his friend, but he felt so awkward and out of place. He couldn’t even stand normally. He sat on the side of Mathias’ bed and attempted to console his friend.

            “There, there.” He softly patted his back.

            Mathias looked up from his tear-stained pillow and pulled Lukas down onto the bed so he could bury his face into Lukas’s chest. This made Lukas extremely uncomfortable, but he did his best to maintain his composure. He wrapped his arms around Mathias in an attempt to hug him, but his arms felt so stiff and heavy all of a sudden. Mathias was soiling the last of Lukas’s clean shirts, but he decided to let it slide this time. He continued to hold Mathias awkwardly in his arms until he fell asleep.

* * *

 

            Right after his uncle’s coronation, Mathias left for Norway to live with Lukas for a little while. It was in everyone’s best interest to comfort the young prince during his time of need, so they thought it was best for Mathias to stay with Lukas until things settled down.

            Over the next two months, Mathias stayed in Norway with Lukas. His crying had eventually ceased, but now he was left with this empty void that ate away at his emotions. Lukas found him sitting outside one day, completely spaced out. Usually Lukas couldn’t stand Mathias’ energetic personality, but now that it was constantly quiet between them, he longed for his old cheerful friend to return. He walked over to him and handed him something to eat, since he hadn’t eaten all day. Sometimes Mathias would simply “forget” to eat, and Lukas watched over him, forcing him to get something in his stomach.

            “Here.” Lukas insisted, ignoring Mathias’s display of uninterest. “Just eat it.”

            Mathias took the food and started eating it, but his eyes were still glazed over. “My entire family… is dead.”

            Lukas sat down next to him. “Hey, don’t say that. You still have your uncle. And you still have me. Remember?” he pointed to the golden cross in his hair.

            A small smile played on Mathias’ lips. “Yes. I do.”

            A few days later, a messenger from Denmark arrived at the palace in Norway. It took him a moment to catch his breath, since he had run all the way there. Finally, he announced:

            “The king of Denmark is dead. Long live the king.”

            Mathias had just turned fifteen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Props to @aricasuntoast for helping me edit this!  
> Also, Norway beating Denmark in chess is canon


	5. Coronation Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mathias prepares for his coronation.

What happened after that was nothing but a blur to Mathias. He hadn't even had enough time to properly understand what was going on before he was roped into becoming his country's next ruler. With so little time and no heirs to the throne, Mathias had no choice but to become king— the one thing he never wanted to be.

All Mathias could remember following the days after his uncle's sudden death was returning to Denmark to rehearse for his coronation, which was set to take place in just three short weeks. It didn't matter how many times he rehearsed— the whole idea of him taking responsibility over his country still seemed surreal to him. There was no way this could be happening to him— no, this was just some kind of bad dream. Any moment now, he would wake up from this nightmare and he could go back to being the carefree prince he always was. Sadly, this wasn’t something he could wake up from.

Mathias was overwhelmed by all the things that were happening to him. Not only was he about to accept a position that he was not at all prepared for, but he still had to grieve over the death of his parents— and now his uncle, too. He couldn't feel more alone.

Of course, the only person capable of bringing Mathias any comfort was Lukas. He'd insisted on going back to Denmark with him to support him any way he could, although Mathias said that wasn't necessary. Still, he was secretly relieved that he had come along. Lukas's presence somehow had a calming effect on Mathias. He had so many uncertainties, but somehow, knowing Lukas was there with him made Mathias feel a little more certain of himself.

On the morning of Mathias's coronation, Lukas entered Mathias' room to check up on him. His servants had just finished dressing him up, and now they were trying to groom his wildly untamed locks of hair. After about ten minutes, they finally managed stop his hair from spiking up the way it usually did. They left the room to give him and Lukas some privacy.

"Today's the big day," Lukas stated, "are you ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Mathias sighed. He held his palms out to Lukas. "Can you tell me again? Am I supposed to hold the orb in my right hand, or my left?"

"I'll tell you, but you have to remember this time." Lukas asserted. "When the orb and scepter are presented, take the orb in your left hand and the scepter in your right."

"So I hold the hold the orb in my left, right?" asked Mathias.

"What? No, you hold the orb in your left— not your right." Lukas corrected.

"That's what I just said." Mathias said, confused.

"Oh, forget it. C'mon, let's go." Lukas grumbled.

The boys walked over to the carriage that would take them to St. Mary's Cathedral in Copenhagen, where Mathias would be coroneted. Traditionally, the to-be king's wife was supposed to accompany the king, but since he was still too young for a wife, Mathias had insisted that Lukas be the one to accompany him. 

The closer they got to the cathedral, the more anxious Mathias became. Lukas noticed that whenever Mathias was upset or stressed in some way, he would run his hands through his hair, letting a sigh escape as he did so. His servant's efforts at taming his hair had soon become undone. Lukas caught his arm right as he was about to do it again.

"Stop that, you're messing up your hair." Lukas said. He attempted to fix his hair to make it look more presentable. "Anyway, what are you so nervous about? You'll do great up there."

"It's not just that,” Mathias started. “Lukas, after today I'm going to be the ruler of this entire country. I'm not ready for that kind of responsibility- what kind of fifteen-year-old is, anyway?" He took Lukas's hand and held it up to his chest so he could feel his heartbeat. "Feel how fast my heart is beating? I'm just a kid, so why are they making me king? I can't go through with this, I can't. I just can't."

Mathias had started rambling, so to shut him up, Lukas gently grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down to his chest. He had figured out that that was the most effective way in comforting him. "You're talking too fast, just take a deep breath and relax. Everything is going to be okay."

Mathias had told himself that at least a thousand times, yet he only believed it when he heard the words come out of Lukas's mouth. He clung onto him. "What would I do without you, Lukas? Stay with me always."

Lukas squeezed him tight. "You're going to be a great king; you just haven't realized it yet. Just remember: hold the orb in your left and the scepter in your right."

When they arrived at the cathedral, Mathias' anxiety only grew stronger. He had been able to rely on Lukas for support the entire time, but this was as far as he could go.

"I'll be in the front row, so I won't be too far away. Good luck." Lukas said, ready to walk into the cathedral where he and the other royal guests were waiting.

"Wait! How do I look?" Mathias asked in an attempt to stall him.

Lukas walked over to him and adjusted the broach pinned onto his robe. "Like a king."

Lukas then disappeared into the cathedral and Mathias was guided to the other entrance, where he then would be seated before the altar. Just like he said, Lukas was sitting close by at the front row, giving Mathias a sense of relief. The bishop arrived, and finally the ceremony could begin.

The ceremony started just as he had practiced, with Mathias promising to govern justly, preserve the religious traditions, support the schools, and help the poor. He tried to fully understand the weight behind his words as he said them, imagining himself actually performing these actions. Besides the beads of sweat he felt rolling down his face, he recited it perfectly, not missing a single beat. He wiped his brow as quickly and as casually as he could make it look.

Next, the bishop anointed him on the lower right arm and between the shoulders. Everyone was silent, which only made his beating heart sound louder. He felt as if everyone’s stares could burn a hole right through him, making him even more nervous. Being the center of attention was something he wasn't completely comfortable with, but Mathias knew he'd have to get used to it from now on. To calm himself down, he closed his eyes and focused on the _thump-thump_ in his chest.

After a silence that felt like forever, he was presented a sword. Once he sheathed it, he was crowned by the clergy and nobility, who placed the jeweled crown upon his head. The crown flattened his hair, ultimately taming his wild locks. Finally, Mathias was presented with the orb and sceptre. He hesitated for a moment, trying to recall Lukas's words. At that moment, he had suddenly drawn a blank. He panicked and glanced over to Lukas, who was mouthing the word 'orb' and pointing to his left hand. Ah, yes! The orb went in his left hand and the sceptre went in his right.

The weight of the orb was heavier than he remembered, especially since he was holding it in his non-dominant hand, but Mathias pretended that it didn't bother him at all. In truth, it felt as if it was weighing him down. He remained calm as he gracefully took the sceptre in his right hand. Now there was only one thing left to do. Mathias took a deep breath as he turned to face the people of his kingdom, keeping his head up high. Behind him, the bishop bellowed, "Presenting His Royal Highness, King Mathias of Denmark! Long live the king!"

"Long live the king!" the kingdom roared back, echoing in his ears.

* * *

 

From the moment he was crowned king, Mathias was bogged down with all his royal duties. It seemed everywhere he went, his royal advisers were there to tell him exactly what to do every minute of the day. Being a king meant he had almost no freedom of his own, apparently. His days of living as a carefree prince were gone forever; unfortunately, he was being forced to grow up a lot quicker than he had anticipated.

Mathias never realized just how hard it was to be king— his father had always made it look effortless. He knew he couldn't mess this up; after all, with great power came great responsibility. He couldn't take his royal lessons as lightly as he had when he was just a prince, so all day he toiled indoors as he tried to memorize the names and titles of everyone of nobility and learned the strategies behind holding diplomatic meetings and other various foreign affairs that could affect the wellbeing of Denmark.

When he did have some free time, which happened very rarely, he opted to spend it with Lukas. It had been over a month since his coronation, but Lukas still wasn't comfortable with the thought of leaving Mathias all alone. He knew he was his anchor, so Lukas was afraid that Mathias would have some type of nervous breakdown without him around. It was only temporary, Lukas told himself. Once he knew for sure that Mathias could handle things by himself, he would return to Norway. His father had given him permission stay in Denmark, so everything was alright. 

However, one day a messenger arrived to bring Lukas some troubling news. Upon receiving the message, Lukas stumbled into the room where Mathias was surrounded by his royal advisors. Lukas sat down at one of the chairs and buried his hands in his face, completely disregarding what was going on in the room.

Knowing something was upsetting him, Mathias sent his advisors to leave them alone for a moment. He walked over to where Lukas was sitting and kneeled down to him.

"Lukas, what's wrong?" he asked.

Lukas mumbled something into his hand so it was difficult to understand. He moved his hand and repeated himself. "I just got a message from my father. Emil's been missing since yesterday morning, and they can't find him anywhere."

The next morning, Lukas set out to search for Emil so he could bring him back. His father had sent out a search party for Emil and so had Mathias, but Lukas felt that that still wasn't enough. He didn't feel comfortable with the thought of sitting at home while his brother was missing. Mathias wanted to help him look, since he saw Emil as a little brother too, but Lukas reminded him of his royal responsibilities.

"I'll search the entire continent of Europe if I have to. I just hope he's okay..." Lukas said, his voice trailing off as he imagined all the horrible possibilities of his brother's fate.

Mathias must have read his mind, because he assured Lukas that Emil was all right and that he shouldn't worry too much.

"I'll be on the lookout for him in Denmark, okay? Just be safe." Mathias said.

"I will. Goodbye, Mathias."

As if on instinct, Lukas went up to Mathias and gently kissed him on the cheek. No sooner had he done that did he realize what he just did. He was so horrified that he hastily turned around before Mathias could react, his face burning. Lukas yelled out 'bye' as he quickly tucked into the carriage, trying to recollect what prompted him to do that. Whatever that was, Lukas was just relieved that he wouldn't have to face Mathias anytime soon.

Mathias was left dumbfounded standing in front of his palace, as he continued to wave bye at the carriage. After it was out of eyesight, Mathias reached up to touch the spot where Lukas had kissed him. What just happened? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! My laptop's been acting up lately and I've been busy with school  
> I couldn't find that much information about coronations in this time period so I just used the info I had + that scene from Frozen x.x If you're looking for accuracy, you won't find it here lol  
> Thanks for all the comments/kudos! Hopefully I can get the next chapter out sooner


	6. Time Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The king's advisers start looking for a wife for Mathias. Meanwhile, Lukas looks for Emil in Finland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for APH Hungary and Finland's debut appearances :D

Mathias rested his chin on his head and sighed loudly as he shifted uncomfortably on his throne. He had been king for six months now, but he still felt out of place. Sure, he had been born into a royal family, but Mathias still felt like he didn’t deserve such an important position. All he really wanted was for Lukas to return—the last time he heard from him was in a letter he sent last month. Unfortunately, there was still no sign of Emil. Mathias couldn’t help but feel anxious without Lukas’s reassuring presence. Once he returned, Mathias decided, he’d never let him out of his sight again.

He looked over at the empty throne beside his, which was reserved for the queen. Of course, since Mathias had no wife, the throne lay vacant. In fact, the last person to sit on the queen’s throne was his mother, since his uncle was unmarried when he became king. Suddenly, Mathias’s heart was filled with sorrow as he remembered his parents. He wondered what they would think if they could see him now: their fifth and only living son, the one who never expressed any interest in becoming king, was now a Danish monarch. He couldn’t even bring himself to laugh at the irony of the situation.

Although he was still relatively young, his advisors had already started pestering him about getting married. It was not required for monarchs to be married in order to take the throne, but his advisors thought it was never too early. After his uncle had died suddenly just two months into his enthronement, they began to worry that history would repeat himself, and they would once again be left with no heirs to the throne. If there was no one to succeed him, should the king die, his advisors feared that a corrupt outside member would rise up to power and take over the country. To ease the minds of his advisors, he assured everybody that he was in good health. He pointed out that his uncle was severely obese and had a heart problem, so his heart attack was bound to happen sooner or later. Mathias, on the other hand, maintained a good diet and exercised daily.

Of course, this didn’t stop his entire court from trying to find the perfect wife for him. Surely the king would eventually grow lonely and wish to marry a fine young woman, right? Ruling over a country alone was indeed doable, but everyone was afraid that this much responsibility would be too much of a burden for their adolescent king.

Mathias had been introduced to many young princesses, baronesses, and other members of nobility from all of Europe. To be honest, Mathias found the majority of them to be incredibly boring—although they all appeared to be crazy over him. However, there was one girl that managed to hold his interest: Elizabeta Héderváry, the daughter of Count Márton Hedervary of Hungary. She was absolutely stunning, with her long, wavy brown hair and an orange flower tucked behind her right ear. When Mathias saw her, he got up from his throne and bent down to kiss her hand— but she pulled her hand away right as he was about to do so.

“I have no intention in marrying King Mathias, father. I already told you this multiple times on the way here.” She asserted, ignoring Mathias.

“Elizabeta, why must you defy me?” the Count replied in an exasperated tone. “It’s for your own good. Besides, I won’t have you bringing up that nonsense about you and that ragged Austrian composer again.”

“He isn’t ragged! And I love him” she retorted, pulling at her skirt. “He accepts me for who I am, unlike you. Why do you always insist that I wear dresses and act like a proper lady? I think I’m fine just the way I am.”

“You are a daughter of nobility and you will act as such.” The Count replied, his voice slowly rising. “Why must you be so difficult? I wish you’d act more like your mother.”

“I’m not mother!” she exclaimed.

“Enough!” Mathias yelled. He could see that things were getting ugly rather quickly. The room fell silent as he sat back down on his throne. Finally Mathias spoke, in a grandeur voice.

“There will no bickering in my courtroom. It’s not only disrespectful to me, but to everybody in my court. I ought to have you both escorted out.”

The guards came to their side as soon as he said that, but Mathias held up his hand to stop them. “But I won’t. Count Márton, I thank you for your offer for your daughter’s hand in marriage, but I’m afraid I must decline. She is, um… too old for me.”

“Your majesty, she is only nineteen.” Whispered of his advisors. Mathias held up his hand to shut them up.

“Well then, I’m declining because she is simply too defiant. I do not wish to marry into that.”

With that, he waved his hand to dismiss the Count and his daughter. Before they left, Mathias took Elizabeta and pulled her aside to talk to her.

“I hope you weren’t offended about what I said earlier. I think you’re great, but I don’t think either of us want to marry each other.” He whispered to her. “And don’t give up on that composer fella. Your father will turn around eventually.”

Elizabeta laughed. “And I’m sorry for acting so cold towards you when you tried to kiss my hand.” She held up her hand to him. “You can do it right now if you wish.”

He took her hand and gave it a quick kiss. “Oh, and Elizabeta? If he is your one true love, make sure to never let go of him.”

* * *

 Lukas was exhausted. For the last six months, he had been searching nonstop all over northern Europe to find his little brother. With each day that passed by, he grew even more worried that he’d never see Emil again. He had promised his mother on her deathbed to always protect Emil, and right now he felt like a complete failure. He had been too distracted by supporting Mathias that he forgot about his first and foremost priorities.

He feared that his little brother had faced the same fate as his real father, who had been kidnapped by pirates while on a business trip when Lukas was just two years old. To this day, Lukas had no idea what he was doing, or if he was even alive. Lukas panicked at the thought of Emil getting kidnapped; after all, he was only twelve and was still very unexperienced about most things. He wished there was some type of way he could enclose Emil in a protective bubble to keep him away from danger.

The only country in northern Europe that Lukas hadn’t searched in was Finland, so Lukas decided to search for Emil there. As he admired the landscape of Finland from the window of his carriage, one of his servants popped in to deliver him a message.

“Prince Lukas, the king of Finland heard about your arrival. He wishes for you to dine with him and his family in his palace in Helsinki and insists you rest for a couple of days there.”

Lukas shook his head no, but his servant insisted. “Prince Lukas, please. You’ve been searching nonstop for over six months now. You barely sleep as it is. We’re just worried about your health.”

Reluctantly, Lukas agreed. As he got closer and closer to the palace in Helsinki, he grew even more anxious. Now that he thought about it, he’d never gone out without either Mathias, Emil, or his father by his side. This was the first time he had ever gone out on his own, so he had no idea what to do. He hated to admit it, but he was painfully shy around strangers. He had gotten so used to knowing at least one person wherever he went and sticking next to him, but this time there was nobody to hide behind. He was all by himself. When he finally arrived in front of the palace, he sucked in his gut. He was sixteen, it was time for him to grow up and be a man.

Easier said than done.

Lukas looked down at the ground as he scuffled into the king’s courtroom. He could literally feel every pair of eyes lay upon him as he walked in. Although he appeared more or less normal, Lukas was freaking out on the inside. What was he doing here?

Lukas stared at the king blankly for a couple of moments before he realized who he was staring at. Horrified, he hastily bowed down to the king, but he dipped his head a little too low and ended up toppling over. The guards ran over to help him up.

“H-hello, your majesty!” he exclaimed a little too loudly as he tried to regain his composure. He couldn’t understand why he was embarrassing himself so badly. All he wanted to do at that moment was run away and hide himself. For a brief moment he wished Mathias didn’t have to be king, so that he could’ve been with him right now.

The king simply laughed, for he found the entire situation quite amusing. “Why Prince Lukas,” he chucked, “If I recall correctly, wasn’t Mathias the screwball one?”

Lukas blushed right red and quickly apologized for his clumsy behavior, but the king dismissed it. He knew Lukas had grown weary from his search for Emil and promised to send his men out to assist Lukas in his search. Lukas thanked him for his help.

“Oh, and I apologize for the absence of my sons. They’re studying abroad in France right now. I don’t believe you’ve been acquainted with my nephew Tino yet” he noted.

He signaled one of his servants to go fetch Tino. Moments later, a blond teenage boy came bouncing into the room with a cheery expression.

“Hello uncle! You called for me?” he asked.

“Tino, my boy!” the king remarked. “I’d like you to meet Prince Lukas of Norway. He’ll be staying with us for a couple of days, so why don’t you two get acquainted with each other? I’m sure you’ll get along just fine.”

“Yes sir!” Tino replied jauntily. He walked over to where Lukas was standing and enthusiastically started pumping his arm. “Wow, it’s an honor to finally meet you, Prince Lukas! I’m Prince Tino Väinämöinen, my uncle’s the king—although I’m sure you already know that. I’ve heard so much about you. Can I just say, you’re even more beautiful than they described you! I’m sorry if that sounds weird coming from a guy but I just wanted to tell you that.”

“Uhh, thanks.” Lukas replied. He didn’t say much else, he just continued to smile awkwardly as Tino yammered on. Tino wasn’t exactly annoying, Lukas thought, but he certainly seemed a bit _too_ eager. Nevertheless, Lukas was relieved to have somebody to stick to, even if he had no idea how to act around him.

Lukas and Tino walked around as Tino showed him the different parts of the palace. Lukas had been here before when he was younger with his father, but the place looked a whole lot bigger now that he was by himself. He looked up at the ceilings, wondering if they had always been that high.

Tino stopped walking and looked at Lukas. “Is everything alright? You look a bit nauseous.” He said.

“What? No, I-I’m fine. I just… I’m a bit shy around people I don’t know that well.” He admitted.

“That’s silly! If you’re too shy to talk to people you don’t know, how would you ever get to know them?”

Lukas thought about it for a second. “I guess it’s because I’m usually with King Mathias. He does all the talking for me.” He replied.

“King Mathias? Are you good friends with him?” Tino asked.

 “Yes, the king and I are very close.” Lukas said as he touched the golden cross in his hair. “We’re practically brothers.”

“That’s nice to hear! I’d really like to meet King Mathias one day,” Tino chimed, “If I ever get myself to leave the palace, that is.”

Lukas found it extremely odd that Tino had never once stepped foot outside, especially since he himself frequently travelled between Norway and Denmark. He asked Tino why.

“I don’t know, I’ve just never got around to it. Besides, I know I’m safe within these palace walls. The outside world looks really scary! I went down to the village near our kingdom with some of my servants one time, but that’s the farthest I’ve ever went.” He explained.

“Anyway, let’s talk about something else. Like Christmas!” Tino exclaimed, changing the subject. “Christmastime in Finland is so magical, and it’s really traditional around here! Every year, we…”

Lukas continued to listen to Tino yammer on about his Finnish holiday traditions. He smiled to himself, wondering why he was so scared of Tino when he first met him. He seemed completely harmless, so Lukas decided there was nothing to worry about.

Tino took something that looked like candy out of his pocket and started popping it in his mouth. He offered some to Lukas, who took a couple of pieces and popped them in his mouth too. Suddenly his mouth started watering. This was definitely not candy. As discreetly as he could, Lukas spit it out and discarded it in a nearby bush. Tino turned around just as Lukas was finished cleaning out his mouth.

"Want some more?" he offered.

"Oh, no thanks." Lukas replied. "What was that, anyway?"

"Salmiakki! It's my favorite." Tino beamed.

Lukas made a mental note never to eat salmiakki again the next time he was in Finland.

During their dinner later that night, Lukas clung on to Tino for the majority of the time. He felt pathetic for doing so, but Tino didn’t seem to mind. When bedtime came, he was escorted to one of the sleeping chambers. Lukas closed his eyes and tried falling asleep, but for some reason his insomnia was especially bad that night. He ended up tossing and turning for most of the night. Finally he gave up and lay awake in bed as he stared out at the starry sky outside his window. He wondered if Mathias was still awake too, looking at the sky at this moment too.

Lukas turned around onto his stomach and buried his face in his pillow. That was the millionth time he had thought about Mathias that day. For some reason, Lukas thought nonstop about Mathias when he wasn’t busy worrying about Emil. Why did he miss him so badly? He hadn’t realized how attached he’d grown to Mathias until now. He recalled the time when he kissed Mathias’s cheek before he left. Suddenly, he felt his heart flutter and his cheeks started burning. He crumpled himself up into a fetal position, trying to get his heart rate to slow down. He had no idea what happened to his body just now. Maybe he was just getting a fever.

Lukas stayed in Finland for a couple days before continuing his journey. He was so proud of himself; he had survived his first time going to a social outing alone and had managed to make a new friend in the process. But Lukas was quickly running out of steam. He missed Mathias so much that it actually started to hurt. On his eighth month of searching for Emil, Lukas reluctantly gave up and turned back to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for neglecting this fic for an entire month.. I told you I'm a slow writer x.x  
> Anyways, in the next chapter Lukas and Mathias will travel to Italy! I'll try to update by next week


	7. The Opera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lukas and Mathias travel down to Italy to watch the opera, with hints of gerita

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was taking a world architecture and music history class when I wrote this chapter, so yay for little history lessons you never asked for. ((I actually used something I learned in class for my fic my teachers should be proud of me)). Also, Italy and Germany make their appearances ^-^. Kudos to you if you know who the Vargas family is supposed to represent (hint hint: they were a VERY important family in Florence)

Once Mathias heard the news that Lukas was back in Denmark, he immediately dropped what he was doing to run outside so he could greet him. By the time he reached the palace gates, Lukas had just arrived. Mathias eagerly waited for him to step outside his carriage so he could calmly greet him, but as soon as he saw his friend, he tackled him into a hug.

“Lukas!” Mathias exclaimed. “I’m so glad that you’re back! You have no idea how much I’ve missed you!”

“Mmm, let go of me, brother.” Lukas whined. He couldn’t breathe, mostly because Mathias was squeezing him a little too tightly. Normally, Mathias’s invasion of personal space annoyed Lukas, but this time he secretly wished that he would never let go. The last eight months hadn’t been easy for him— he’d traveled to many foreign lands in search of his brother with no luck. He was glad to be back home, but at the same time he felt horrible for not accomplishing the task he had set out for.

As if Mathias had read his mind, he assured Lukas that Emil was okay, and that they would find him soon. Somehow, hearing those words from Mathias made Lukas feel a lot more hopeful.

“I see you’re doing well, brother.” Lukas stated after Mathias finally let go of him, “What have you been up to during my absence?”

Mathias’s eyes lit up, as if he had been waiting for him to ask that question the whole time. He began to yammer on about all the things he’d been doing for the last eight months. Ruling an entire country on his own was tough, he admitted, but he was slowly growing accustomed to his new authoritative position.

One of his proudest accomplishments was that he’d boosted the country’s economy by establishing a toll on a trade route in the Oresund Strait, the water passage between Denmark and Sweden. By collecting taxes from all the foreign ships that passed through that strait, he was able to generate a lot of revenue, and because of the joint union between Denmark and Norway, both of their countries reaped great benefits. The best part was, this was entirely his idea. It seemed that his advisors were beginning to trust his abilities to make important decisions on his own.

“What did I tell you?” Lukas teased. “I told you you’d become a great king.”

Mathias beamed in response. “Oh! I got something for you.” He called over one of his servants, who placed a bouquet of white lilies in Lukas’s arms. “A friend from Italy sent me these this morning. I thought you’d like them.”

Before Lukas could respond, Mathias was called away. Apparently, there had been some kind of disagreement between a farmer and a merchant, and it was up to him to settle the matter peacefully. Mediation was one of the king’s less exciting responsibilities, but he knew the importance of keeping the peace within his country. He reluctantly left Lukas’s side, promising to be back soon.

Lukas found himself standing alone in the palace hallway after Mathias walked away. He looked down at the flowers he had just been given, conflicted about his feelings. Walking further down the hall, he walked into one of the king’s private study halls and placed the flowers in an empty vase upon the desk. Looking at the flowers, he couldn’t help but feel sad for some reason. In a couple of days, these once-beautiful flowers would shrivel up and die, and its existence would no longer serve a purpose. It would then be discarded, cast away, for nobody wanted to keep dead flowers around. It reminded Lukas about a conversation he had with his mother, long ago…

 

_After a long, harsh winter, spring had finally arrived in Norway. The last traces of snow had finally melted away and were replaced by lush, green pastures. After being trapped indoors for so long, Lukas decided to go out for a walk with his mother to observe the blooming nature around them. As they took their walk, Lukas had spotted some pretty flowers and ran over to pick them. However, his mother stopped him before he could._

_“But mamma,” he protested. “I want them. They’re so pretty, just like you!”_

_“My child, these flowers are nature’s gift to us.” his mother asserted. “We must not take its beauty for granted, for its beauty is fleeting. It is not ours to claim as our own.”_

 

Lukas’s thoughts were cut short by Mathias, who came bursting into the room.

“There you are! I forgot to tell you earlier, but my friend from Italy has invited me to the opera. We leave in three days.”

* * *

 Mathias had taken the liberty of packing for Lukas, but much to Lukas’s horror, all he had been given to wear during their week-long trip to Italy was a single, purple dress. Of course, this did not please Lukas. He was already too feminine looking, with his shoulder-length blonde hair and slender body type, so wearing anything other than pants would make him look like a woman. Lukas stormed over to Mathias to protest, but he shot him down, saying he thought the dress suited him rather well.

“Besides, I went through all the trouble to get this specially-tailored dress from France. It’s a very popular fashion trend over there, so I’m told.” Mathias added.

“But Mathias, I-”

“Or how about this,” Mathias proposed, interrupting Lukas. He got up from where he was sitting and walked over to one of the tables, where a game of chess was set up. “If you beat me, you can wear whatever you want.”

Confident that he would win, Lukas agreed. Unfortunately for him, today was not his lucky day. Lukas sat there in disbelief after Mathias had beat out the last of his chess pieces. After 346 matches, Mathias had finally beaten Lukas in a game of chess.

The next morning, Lukas and Mathias left to make the trip down to Italy. Lukas unhappily wore the dress that Mathias had picked out for him. To punish him, Lukas ignored Mathias during the entirety of the trip. He refused to talk to or even look at him. Giving him the cold shoulder treatment was the last thing Lukas wanted to do, especially after being away for so long, but he felt that this was the only way to send the message to Mathias loud and clear. After a while, Mathias gave up on trying to get Lukas to talk to him. Two could play at this game. If Lukas was going to ignore him, he’d ignore him right back. The rest of the trip was filled with absolute silence.

After what seemed to be a lifetime, they finally arrived in Florence, Italy. As soon as they stepped out into the open air, Lukas and Mathias found themselves in the heart of Italian culture. Italy was going through a period of cultural enlightenment called the Renaissance, which quite literally translated to “rebirth”. As the country shifted away from the dark Middle Ages, the Italian people began to rediscover Greek and Roman culture, which resulted in the culture’s rebirth.

Neither Lukas nor Mathias had traveled outside Northern Europe before, so this was a completely new experience to them— it was all so exciting. Mathias turned to say something to Lukas before he remembered he was supposed to be mad at him. It really sucked, because he wanted so badly to voice his emotions right now.

As they took in the sights and smells around them, a young auburn-haired man with a strange curl sticking out from his head came trotting up the hill to greet them.

“Ciao! You must be King Mathias.” the man said, shaking his hand. “Welcome to Florence! I’m sorry that my father couldn’t be here to welcome you instead, but you know him. Busy running the family bank and all. Anyway, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Feliciano Vargas.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Signor Vargas! I’ve heard quite a bit about your family history through your father. Your family must be really important around here” Mathias noted.

It was true, the Vargas family was one of the most powerful and influential families in all of Italy. They had first attained wealth and political power after Feliciano’s grandfather had successfully established the country’s first banking system. Because of his support in the arts and humanities, Florence soon became known as the “birthplace” of the Renaissance Era.

“Signor Vargas is my father’s name. Please, call me Feli.” Feliciano replied. He turned towards Lukas and took his hand to kiss it. “Ciao, bella! I’m sorry I didn’t see you there. You’re looking beautiful as always.” he said to Lukas in a flirtatious manner.

Lukas was startled by the sudden attention brought to him. “I-I’m a man…” he stammered.

A look of shock spread across the Italian’s face. “Oh, my apologies, signor! I just- wait, are you Prince Lukas? Oh wow!” he exclaimed. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Your beauty truly is a gift from God. I’m sorry for mistaking you for a woman earlier, it’s just that you’re pretty like one.”

Lukas knew this wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t wearing that dress. He glared at the king, who was still ignoring him. If it wasn’t for Feliciano, there would have been complete silence between the two of them.

“So what are today’s plans, Feli?” Mathias asked Feliciano.

Feliciano walked down the hill and gestured at them to follow him. “Come, Florence has lots to show you before sundown.” he replied. “That’s when the opera is set to begin.”

First, Feliciano took Lukas and Mathias to the Florence Cathedral, the main church of Florence and one of the city-state’s most beautiful buildings. Perhaps no other structure epitomized the sense of pride of the Florentines more than the cathedral. Feliciano explained that with a cathedral so grand, no one knew how to complete the building when it was first being constructed, thus the building lay incomplete for many years. It wasn’t until the great architectural mind of Filippo Brunelleschi came to light. His structural innovation was largely responsible for the construction of the cathedral's dome, a perfect way to top off a building as grand as the Florence Cathedral.

Next, Feliciano took them out for lunch to taste some of the country’s finest Italian cuisine. After they had finished stuffing themselves, he took them over to a nearby art exhibit. There was something special he wanted to show them.

“I may come from a family of bankers, but art is where my heart truly lies. I have an undying love for it, just like my grandfather.” Feliciano commented as they walked through the halls.

He led them through the art gallery into a room where a single painting stood, covered by a piece of cloth.

“I’ve been working on my painting skills a lot recently. This is my greatest masterpiece.” he said as he pulled away the cloth cover.

At first glance, the painting was simply a picture of a man at his desk. Looking closer at the painting, however, showed so much more. The man in the painting was extremely handsome, with his slicked-back blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He sat cross-legged at his desk and had his left hand was placed over his mouth, although it was apparent that he was concealing a smile behind that hand. He also seemed to be staring at something beyond the painting, as if the object of his affection was standing right in front of him at that moment in time. Whatever the man was looking at, he seemed to be completely enamored by it. The details of the painting was absolutely remarkable, and it seemed so lifelike too. Lukas wondered who the man in the painting was.

“He doesn’t look Italian. Who is he?” Lukas wondered aloud.

Feliciano stared lovingly at the man in the painting. “Someone who is very important to me.”

* * *

 

Sundown was approaching, so Lukas, Mathias, and Feliciano made their way to the opera house. The opera house in itself was quite a marvel— it was one of the biggest and most extravagant ones that Mathias had ever been in.

“This is the Teatro della Pergola, one of Florence’s most famous opera houses. My grandfather had it built before he died,” Feliciano explained as he placed one of his hands on the wall of the opera house. “This is his legacy.”

“It’s absolutely magnificent. I look forward to the opera… which is about what, may I ask? I don’t understand a lick of Italian.” Mathias admitted.

Feliciano was happy to explain the plot of the opera, since the entire thing was to be sung in Italian. The opera they would be watching was called L’Orfeo, which was based off the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. In L’Orfeo, Orpheus learns that his wife Eurydice has passed away, so he travels to the world of the dead to bring her back. He is granted permission to do so, but only if he promises not to look back at her until they were out of the underworld. Unfortunately, Orpheus makes the mistake of looking back, so he cannot bring her back. As an ending, Orpheus calls on his divine father, who allows Orpheus to ascend into heaven to be reunited with his wife.

Lukas had read that Greek legend before, although he remembered the ending a little bit differently. The original ending had Orpheus swearing off women for the rest of his life after losing his wife. The other women were so upset about this that they end up tearing his body apart. Feliciano explained that Claudio Monteverdi changed some of the text when he was writing the composition to be more suitable for Christian beliefs. Still, Lukas preferred the original ending. The tragic ending seemed much more realistic to him.

Feliciano turned his head. “Oh! Please excuse me, the person I’ve been waiting for is finally here.”

With that, he left Lukas and Mathias to be alone with themselves. This was the first time they’d been alone all day, and although Lukas’s anger towards Mathias had largely cooled off, he still didn’t want to talk to Mathias. Lukas turned his back to Mathias and opted to look for where Feliciano had run off to. From the other side of the room, he saw Feliciano run into the arms of his tall, blond-haired friend. He had a striking resemblance to the man in Feliciano’s painting, Lukas observed.

“Ludwig! You’re here!” he heard Feliciano say.

The man named Ludwig’s response was inaudible to Lukas, but it must have made Feliciano extremely happy, because he placed a kiss on the blond man’s lips. Lukas quickly diverted his eyesight— he didn’t want to look like some creep. When he looked back up, Feliciano and Ludwig were gone.

Just then, someone came to Lukas and Mathias to lead them to their seats. Because of their royal status, they were given their very own private viewing balcony on the upper level. Once they were seated, Lukas realized that he and Mathias hadn’t said a single word to each other since morning. He looked down and saw the dress he was wearing, remembering this was the reason he wasn’t talking to him. The reasons behind his anger seemed pretty petty, now that he thought about it. Still, Lukas had no desire to talk to Mathias.

Soon after they were seated, the curtains rose on Act 1 and revealed the actors portraying Orfeo and Eurydice. Since Italy was one of the places where castration was practiced, the role of Eurydice was not played out by a woman, but a young male castrato. While his singing was absolutely beautiful, Lukas couldn’t help but feel sad for the castrato, for without his voice, this man would have nothing. His castration would never allow him to fully develop into a man even after hitting puberty, forever leaving him stuck between the stages of boy and man.

Of course, Lukas wasn’t one to talk. He wasn’t exactly “manly” himself, and had even been mistaken for a woman earlier. He silently cursed the king for making him wear a dress. He looked over at Mathias, who was busy concentrating on the opera, when he noticed something strange. Was it just his imagination, or had he lost a lot of weight? Had he been getting enough to eat? Perhaps not. Lukas remembered how irregular Mathias’s eating patterns were when his parents first died.

Lukas suddenly grew more worried about the health of his friend. If Mathias wasn’t eating again, then it must’ve been because he was worrying about something. He also noticed dark circles under his eyes—he hadn’t been getting enough sleep, either.

Lukas had always thought of Mathias as a happy-go-lucky, carefree type of guy. But now he was beginning to realize that he was a much harder worker than he appeared to be. As effective of a leader Mathias was, Lukas knew his friend was reaching his limit. He had been carrying the weight of an entire country on his own for nearly a year now, and it was beginning to affect his body. Lukas was afraid that Mathias was putting too much responsibility on himself; he was working too hard and forgot to take care of himself in the process. Lukas shook his head. It was typical of Mathias. He cared so much for his people that he often put their needs before his own. Mathias’s compassion and dedication was what made him such a great king.

Suddenly, Lukas felt incredibly guilty. He was supposed to always be there to support Mathias, yet he selfishly left his side for eight months. He hadn’t even considered how Mathias would cope on his own before leaving. Yet when Lukas returned, Mathias made it seem like he was getting along just fine without him. He welcomed him back with open arms, and even took him on this trip to Florence. And here he was, getting mad at him over a stupid dress. 

Lukas felt like he didn’t deserve to have a friend as kind-hearted as Mathias. Someone needed to look after his well-being, so Lukas decided it would be him. He promised to never abandon his side ever again. All of his anger about the dress vanished, and Lukas suddenly felt himself missing Mathias’s affections. He scooted himself closer to Mathias and leaned his head on his shoulder as he linked their arms together, which startled Mathias.

“Hmm? What’s this about?” Mathias questioned.

“Shut up and watch the opera.” Lukas said as he snuggled up to Mathias.

Lukas and Mathias stayed in Florence for a couple more days to relax. Their relationship had gone back to normal and Mathias was once again the goofy, loud king he always was. Seeing Mathias happy again warmed Lukas’s heart.

Before they left, Feliciano officially introduced them to Ludwig Beilschmidt, whose family did business with the Vargas family. He introduced Ludwig as his friend, so Lukas assumed they were keeping their relationship a secret from their families. Whatever the case, Lukas couldn’t help but feel happy for the two of them. He wished he could find someone to love like that.

They arrived back in Denmark later that night, exhausted from their trip. Lukas was too tired to travel back to Norway, so he decided he’d spend the night and leave tomorrow morning. However, right as he was about to change into his sleepwear, a messenger arrived to deliver some urgent news from Lukas’s father. Apparently, Emil was back in Norway.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw i have a dennor blog ---> danxnorge.tumblr.com.  
> I promise to update soon!


	8. Emil in Wonderland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> betcha thought I neglected this fic, huh? I'm just the world's slowest writer/procrastinator, hah. here's the long-awaited chapter 8!
> 
> tumblr: danxnorge.tumblr.com

Upon hearing the news of Emil's return, the pair rushed to the palace in Oslo as quickly as they could. They walked into the royal court, pushing their way past the royal guards to get to Emil, who was too busy conversing with his father to notice the commotion his older brother was making.

"There you are, Lukas!" The king bellowed. "Look who I found. Can you believe this little one went all the way to China and back all by himself?"

Lukas raised an eyebrow. He had never heard of this 'china' place. He looked down at his brother, who was nonchalantly munching on some berries.

"Hi, big brother. Sorry I didn't write to you where I was, I didn't know how."

Lukas was in disbelief. He had just spent eight months nonstop, worrying about how his brother was. Was he okay? Was he scared, afraid, lonely? Yet he didn't seem bothered at all. It seemed more like he had just come back from a vacation. Lukas felt like he was the only one in the room that was worried about this whole thing, and it irritated him.

"Father, may I talk to my brother in private?" he asked the king. He nodded and left the room, with everyone else behind his trail.

Once they were alone, Lukas glared at Emil. He wasn't going to let him off the hook this easy.

"Emil." He commanded. He tried masking his anger, but his voice could not hold back.

"Yes, brother?"

Lukas slammed his fist onto the nearby table, making Emil jump in his seat. "Dammit Emil! You listen here, boy. You can't go missing for eight months then come back and expect no consequences. Do you even realize how much trouble you've caused? I've been looking nonstop for you for eight goddamn months..." his voice began to quiver. "I thought you were dead."

Lukas painfully swallowed down a hard lump forming in his throat. "What do you have to say for yourself?" His voice cracked. But before he could answer, Lukas hit the table again. "Answer me!" He desperately shouted.

Lukas felt a hand grab his shoulder from behind. It was Mathias pulling him aside. "Lukas, I understand you're upset. You have every right to be, but you've got to calm down. Can't you see how scared he is?" he turned him around so he could see his little brother silently crying as he wiped away his tears. "You just got him back. Don't shout at him. Trust me, he's just as scared as you are."

"I know, but-" Lukas felt his own hot tears streaming down his face. "It's my duty to protect him. It was mother's dying wish."

"You haven't failed. Emil is back, and he is safe. And he's a lot more independent than you give him credit for." Mathias assured him. He wrapped his arms around Lukas and let him cry into his shoulder. "Shhh, it’s okay now. Everything turned out fine, just like I promised."

Lukas let out a weak laugh. "What would I do without you? I almost scared my brother away back there."

Lukas needed a moment to clean his face, so the young king went over to sit down next to Emil. "Hey buddy. Long time, no see."

Emil leaned into the king's ear. "Does big brother hate me?" He asked softly. Before Mathias could answer, the boy's brother wrapped his arms around the little one from behind.

"Don't be silly. I could never hate you. I just very, very worried."

Emil scrunched his face. "Before you got here, father gave me a thorough lecture about being more responsible. I'm very sorry that I made you worry. I promise it won't happen again."

The room fell silent as Emil and Lukas continued their silent embrace. Mathias sighed a breath of relief. As happy as he was for his friend, he was exhausted. Being the emotional support for your best friend while also running a kingdom was something no 16 year old should ever have to do. His stress over the past couple of months led to insomnia and a lack of appetite. His nurse constantly pestered him over this.

"Well Emil, why don't you tell us about China?"

* * *

 

And so Emil began the unforgettable tale of how he ended up in China. How, on one fateful day while his brother was in Denmark, he made the acquaintance of a boy named Leon, the son of a traveling merchant from China. He was surprised at how well the boy could speak Norwegian (for being a foreigner), as well as English and five other languages he couldn't understand.  

He and Leon quickly bonded over a game of tennis, and then they were running all over the palace and spent the whole day playing around. Emil missed the days when his brother used to play with him- nowadays, he spent more time in Denmark. When they got tired of running, they settled down in the garden and Leon told Emil all about China. As exciting as it was traveling all over the world with his teacher, the head merchant, he secretly longed for a normal lifestyle where he could be a regular little boy who went to school and minded his manners. But most of all, he wanted a friend his age.

The next morning, however, Leon said he had to go back home now. Not wanting to say goodbye to his new friend, Emil sneaked out of the palace that afternoon and stowawayed on the merchant's carriage, hidden among their food supply. Leon spotted him the second he boarded the carriage, but winked at him and kept their little stowaway a secret.

* * *

 

"His teacher found me, of course, but by that time we were already in China. And I lied and said my father gave me permission to go." Emil finished. "I meant to write you, but I didn't know how."

"What an adventure!" Mathias marveled. "What else did you do in China?"

Emil began telling the others about all the tricks they'd pull on Leon's teacher. He could not recall the teacher's name, only that he said 'aru' a lot. Three stories later, Mathias yawned and announced that it was getting late. He apologized to Emil for having to cut their story time short. Lukas decided to walk the king back to his carriage, where his escort was waiting.

"Despite all the trouble he's caused, he really surprised me. It takes courage to visit a foreign land by yourself." Lukas commented.

Mathias nudged him with his shoulder. "See? Told you he'd be alright."

Lukas folded his arms and look up at the night sky. "I don't know where he gets it from. Certainly not me... did I ever tell you about the day we moved into the palace? I was scared, but not Emil. He saw it as a new adventure."

There was a moment of silence. Finally, Mathias spoke.

"I've been thinking you should stay in Norway with your brother for a while. I feel like it’s my fault that he ran away. You've been too preoccupied with me lately. Go spend time with Emil."

Lukas was not expecting to hear this from his friend, but he nodded his head in agreement. After they said their goodbyes, Lukas watched the carriage roll towards the palace gates. He turned to go back indoors, but changed his mind and started chasing after the carriage. _Wait!_ He yelled out. Suddenly, it halted. Lukas held onto his knees to support himself, trying to catch his breath.

"Mathias, I wasn't going to say anything, but I noticed in Italy how neglectful of your health you've become. Please promise me you'll take care of yourself without me there."

The young king was dumbfounded, but agreed. "If it worries you that much, then I promise. Besides, knowing you're okay now will help me sleep better at night." He grabbed Lukas's hand and held it close to his chest. "Goodnight, Prince Lukas."

Lukas watched Mathias's carriage disappear once again into the night, replaying their most recent conversation in his head. He clutched at his heart. For some reason, that odd feeling in his chest had come back.

**Author's Note:**

> Note: For the sake of the plot, this story probably won't be 100% historically accurate, although there will be some historical aspects to it. Nevertheless, thank you to everyone who took the time to read my first fic! More to come!
> 
> my tumblr: hella-senpai.tumblr.com


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